Latest Interviews

These are the sounds of a man granted a private preview of a masterpiece-in-progress by a giant of rock guitar. Open-mouthed enthusiasm hardly becomes a Jaded Journalist, but what can you do when you're blown away? I'm sitting In Joe Satriani's cozy suite in L.A.’s Le Parc Hotel. The guitarist opens a door leading to the terrace and considers unpacking his clothes. We agree to first hear “a few” of his new tunes, and discuss rock star finery later (particularly our mutual fondness for Big John black jeans).

Wayne Static entertained thoughts of a solo project during his years fronting Static-X, but the multi-platinum band’s recording and touring schedules put the idea on hold. When the group dissolved after their final tour in 2009, the opportunity presented itself to begin working on the material that became Pighammer.

Anvil may have made the saga of a promising young band toiling away on the border of obscurity before finally getting their shot part of mainstream metal lore, but that certainly doesn't mean they were the first band to live it. "I remember actually playing the bar side of a bowling alley on a Sunday afternoon," says Core Device guitarist Tony Nocera, reflecting on years between the band's two albums.

It's two days before Christmas, and at Guitar World, the atmosphere is giddy. Ax slinger extraordinaire Steve Vai is coming to town, coming to these very offices, in fact, bearing a preview tape of Skyscraper, the album he's co-produced with David Lee Roth.

“I know I’m not the kind of person who’s gonna wind up a walking jukebox, like many rock ‘n’ roll artists,” says Carlos Santana. “They just play their hits and that’s it. That doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t wanna just go out and play ‘Black Magic Woman’ and ‘Oye Como Va’ all night because that was part of the seventies, and my watch says it’s 1988. So I wanna get into ’88 and not look back.”

There’s “The Big Machine” and “The Little Machine,” according to Lindsey Buckingham, the creative force behind the juggernaut edition of Fleetwood Mac. No need to identify the Big Machine. The Little Machine is his humble description of his solo career, which is heating up as the weather cools. His first self-released album, Seeds We Sow, dropped on Sept. 6, three days before he kicked off a 31-city North American tour in Reno, Nevada.

In the midst of all the chaos, I caught up with the members of Anthrax fresh from their opening performance of the day to talk about the added pressure of playing Yankee Stadium, how it felt playing news songs during the show and what songs they would choose for the Big For jam.

After eight years of knuckle-hard rockin’, Iron Maiden has released a concept album about ESP and clairvoyance, the very qualities they use to achieve their incredible guitar chemistry. It’s called Seventh Son of a Seventh Son; it’s Iron Maiden’s seventh studio album, their seventh with producer Martin Birch.

When you hear the name Black Label Society, you instantly think of the blond-haired, hell-raising Zakk Wylde. Fans of the band also realize that for more than a decade, the man to his side known as the "Evil Twin," Nick Catanese, has remained a constant.

Over the course of 20 years and thousands of touring miles, the relationships that make up Down — vocalist Philip Anselmo, drummer Jimmy Bower, bassist Pat Bruders and guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein — have outlasted most marriages. “Tell me about it!” Windstein laughs. “I’ve been divorced twice! But you’re absolutely right — it’s like I’ve got four wives who happen to be guys.”